The Perfect Stranger In Peekskill
by LiViN4ChRiSt3033
Summary: The Facts of Life Girls have a reunion!!! (Written before the actual reunion occured...)
1. Welcome to Peekskill!

Disclaimer: I own all characters in this fic but Blair, Jo, Natalie, Tootie, Mrs. G., Beverly Ann, Rick, and Jeff. I do not own Peekskill, it is a town. I do not own Over Our Heads, Mrs. Garret does. I think that about covers it. :)  
  
Symbols:  
  
A: Alexz  
  
J: Jo  
  
R: Rick  
  
BA: Beverly Ann  
  
B: Blair  
  
Ra: Rachel  
  
  
  
(((Rick's car, 4:00 PM)))  
  
(Jo is driving Rick, Alexz, and herself to Peekskill for a reunion.)  
  
A: Mom, do I have to be nice to this Rachel person? From the way you describe her mom, she'll be a total drip!  
  
J: Alexz, honey. Be sensible. Not everyone grows up to be like their parents. Take me, no... what about you?  
  
A: Yeah, mom, am I like you?  
  
J: Well, sorry Alexz. You're a carbon copy of me.  
  
A: Really? How?  
  
J: You don't want to know.  
  
A: Yeah, I do. Come on!  
  
J: (Smiles.) Okay. Well, you're tough when you need to be, and I used to be really tough. I lived in the Bronx, like we do now, and I ran with the gang.  
  
A: You? You were a rebel? How cool can you get! Now that had to be more interesting than being a prep at a preppy school, huh?  
  
J: Well, I was into learning. I got to school on scholarship and... haven't you heard this before?  
  
R: I have!  
  
J: Rick, why don't you tell Alexz about your life?  
  
R: Alexz, Alexz. I play piano in foreign places.  
  
J: Rick, really. What about when I first met you at the center-  
  
A: A center? Were you homeless or something?  
  
J: No, it was a recreation center. I worked there, Ri-  
  
R: I played pool there, and Blair owned there. She made that clear to me many times.  
  
J: Now, Rick. I'm sure she had a very good reason to... (Looks amazed.) I defended Blair from my own husband! As Nat would say, "There is a God!"  
  
R: Now, honey, I'm sure the devil made you do it.  
  
J: (Playfully hits Rick and laughs.) Shut up, Rick. Look, we're almost there.  
  
A: Really? Where?  
  
J: You see that big building up there?  
  
(Alexz sits up in her seat and looks ahead to see a house with a sign that was painted over a long time ago: Over Our Heads.)  
  
A: Is that all? There's only one car, an awful choice, too. Who in the h...world would get a Winnebago?  
  
J: Beverly Ann! I guess I'm the first, then. Blair will be fashionably late, as usual. Maybe Blaine has changed her.  
  
A: Blaine? And Blair? (Starts laughing.) That's a good one!  
  
(Jo and Rick start laughing.)  
  
J: She couldn't get enough of herself I guess.  
  
(They pull into the driveway. An old lady looks out the window, sees them and starts to hurriedly walk out. Jo sees her, opens her door, and runs to her.)  
  
J: Beverly Ann!  
  
BA: Jo! You're early!  
  
(They hug, and Beverly Ann has tears in her eyes.)  
  
BA: Oh, Jo! I can't believe how much you've changed! A kid? You have a kid? What's her name?  
  
(Alexz gets out of the car and walks up to Beverly Ann.)  
  
A: Hey, my name is Erica Alexzandra Marie Bonner. My mom has talked a lot about you.  
  
BA: What nice manners!  
  
A: Don't get used to it. You're nice to me, so I'm nice to you. And you don't want to know what I'm like when I'm not nice. It's really not nice.  
  
J: Alexz!  
  
A: What? You told me you used to to act like that when you were little!  
  
J: (Laughs.) You got me there. But I didn't do that to people I first met, except for... (Looks at driveway and sees another car.) Blair! She's here! (Suprised.) She's early! How is that possible?  
  
(Rick walks up with all their luggage.)  
  
R: Hey, Bev! Where do you want these?  
  
BA: In Jo's old room. It's-  
  
R: I know where it is.  
  
BA: Okay. Hey! (Looks at Jo.) How does he know?  
  
J: (Shrugs.) He must be psychic!  
  
A: You guys had it goin' on! Before you were married! Ooooohhhhhh!  
  
J: (Smiles and hugs her.) You are a mini-Tootie, you know that?  
  
A: (Stands back and looks at Jo with a concerned look.) Is that good?  
  
J: You decide. Her full name is Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey.  
  
A: (Gasps.) THE Dorothy Ramsey? You two were roomates?  
  
J: She bunked on the bed above me when I first got there. We had a lot of good laughs up there. Hey, there's Blair.  
  
(She runs out to the end of the driveway and waves. Blair waves back and smiles. When their car gets in the driveway, Blair jumps out and hugs Jo. They smile and hug again. Now both of them have tears in their eyes.)  
  
J: Blair, I can't believe it's you! You look... will you kill me if I say this? You look like a normal person!  
  
B: (Pauses and looks down a little, embarrased.) That's what child birth does to you. By the way, this is Rachel.  
  
(Rachel steps out of the car and shakes Jo's hand.)  
  
Ra: Hi.  
  
J: Hi, I'm Jo.  
  
Ra: I know, my mom hasn't talked about anyone but you.  
  
J: (Suspiciously.) Oh really? Blair, is that you?  
  
B: Well... (Smiles.) I guess I sort of missed you.  
  
J: Ohhh... Well, so did I... I mean, Rick is just too hard to pick a fight with. And he isn't as easy to bruise.  
  
Ra: You hit my mother?  
  
J: Well, I never admitted it, but I regretted it after I did it. But you had such a big black eye!  
  
B: Oh, well. Blaine always got mad when I tried to pick a fight with him.  
  
J: Wait a minute, he always got mad? As in past tense?  
  
B: Yeah, we're getting a divorce.  
  
J: Oh, I'm sorry. I'd hoped you never had to go through one of those.  
  
B: Well, Blaine insisted, so-  
  
J: You mean you weren't the one that wanted one?  
  
(Alexz walked up by Jo.) Oh, Rachel? This is Alexz.  
  
Ra: (Holds out her hand.) I'm Rachel Stevens.  
  
A: (Looks at her.) Alexz. (Turns to Jo and whispers.) Do you see what I mean? They're both preps! I expected more out of you're friends, mom!  
  
Ra: (Whispers to her mom.) I don't like her. Mrs. Bonner is okay, though.  
  
J: You know, Rachel, you look exactly like your mom when she was you're age.  
  
Ra: (Tosses her hair.) I do?  
  
J: (Bursts out laughing.) Have you been taking lessons from Blair?  
  
B: Actually, she has! I gave her five bucks so she would do that.  
  
(Blaine gets out of the car. Jo looks up, then looks back at Blair.)  
  
J: Blaine? My Blaine, the one I dated?  
  
(The girls excange glances. Blair saw it and laughed.)  
  
B: She wouldn't have married him. He wasn't her type.  
  
J: But what is he doing here? I thought you were getting a divorce?  
  
B: Well, we are, but I... Rachel, why don't you and Alexz go inside and let Beverly Ann show you around?  
  
Ra: Mom, are you okay? You always act this way when you talk about dad. Why can't you stay together? (She hugs her mom.)  
  
B: I don't know, honey. I don't know. (Whispers.) I'm sorry.  
  
Ra: (Sniffs and walks over to Alexz.) Let's go, huh?  
  
A: Okay.  
  
(They walk off. Jo sighs.)  
  
J: Blair, lets go inside, okay? Blaine is in there with the kids. We have a lot of catching up to do.  
  
B: Jo, I begged him to come. I cried and pleaded. All in front of Rachel. Do you know what he said?  
  
J: Blair, don't. Don't do this to yourself.  
  
B: He told me to mind my own business. Then Rachel... Rachel walked up and asked him once... once, after I had asked so many times... Of course he said yes right away.  
  
J: Blair... Blair, don't do this. Do you want your daughter to see you like this?  
  
B: (Starts crying.) No... No, I don't. I don't want to hurt her. Or Blaine... I love him, Jo. I still love him. But he won't let me... (Hugs Jo.)  
  
J: Come on, stop crying. We can go to our room and talk about the good ol' days. Okay?  
  
B: Okay.  
  
(Blair stops crying and they walk inside.) 


	2. Reminiscing

Disclaimer: Ditto.  
  
New symbols:  
  
T: Tootie  
  
N: Natalie  
  
Bl: Blaine  
  
(((4:15 PM)))  
  
(As they walk in the door, Beverly Ann walks up to hug Blair.)  
  
BA: Blair! (She sees her puffy red eyes.) Blair, are you okay?  
  
B: Yeah, I'm fine.  
  
BA: You look like you've been crying. Are you sure?  
  
B: I guess I've been crying for joy.  
  
BA: Sit down! Let's sit and talk until Tootie and Natalie get here. (Jo goes and sits on Rick's lap. Blair starts to sit down on the couch, but she sees Blaine there.)  
  
B: I... I'll just stand.  
  
BA: No, sit down. (She sees Blair looking uncomfortably at Blaine.) Oh... Here. (She halfway stands up.) Sit in my chair.  
  
B: Oh, no, I'll sit on the couch. (She sits down on the opposite side of Blaine. Blaine looks at her, subtly rolls his eyes, then looks down.)  
  
BA: So, how is your family, Jo? By the way, Alexz and Rachel are upstairs in your old room.  
  
J: Are they getting along okay? You know, maybe we should ask them to come down here. If both of them are still alive.  
  
B: (Stands up abruptly.) I'll go see.  
  
BA: Okay.  
  
(Blair goes up the stairs. When she gets to their old room, she hesitantly knocks on the door.)  
  
B: Rachel? Alexz? Can I come in?  
  
Ra: (Wavery voice.) Yeah.  
  
B: (Walks in the door and notices Rachel's eyes are red.) Honey, are you okay?  
  
Ra: Yeah, I'm fine.  
  
A: Are you sure? I mean...  
  
Ra: What do you want, mom?  
  
B: Oh, just looking around. (She walks over and sits on her old bed.) Beverly Ann has kept it the same way for all these years... I have a lot of memories in here. And so does Jo.  
  
A: She talks about you guys all the time.  
  
B: Well, I-  
  
J: (In the background.) Tootie! You're here! Hi, Jeff!  
  
T: Jo! Where's Blair?  
  
J: She went upstairs to get the kids. Sit down, I'll go get her.  
  
B: We'd better go.  
  
Ra: Tootie?  
  
B: Yeah, you remember? Didn't I tell you?  
  
A: Dorothy Ramsey! See ya!  
  
(Alexz runs down the stairs pulling Rachel with her. Blair smiles and follows them. When Alexz and Rachel get down the stairs, they stopped dead in their tracks.)  
  
Ra: A real movie star!  
  
A: THE Dorothy Ramsey!  
  
T: And who are you?  
  
Ra: (Clears throat.) I'm Rachel Stevens.  
  
A: And I'm Alexz Bonner. Nice to meet ya!  
  
B: Hey, Tootie!  
  
T: Blair! (Looks at the kids.) I'm Dorothy Ramsey, but you can call me Tootie if you want.  
  
Ra: Tootie? We can call THE Dorothy Ramsey "Tootie"?  
  
T: I see you've heard of me. Blair, I can tell she's yours, right?  
  
B: (Tosses hair.) But of course! Hey, where's Jordan?  
  
T: Oh, she's outside admiring the view. She's just like Nat, writing all the time. By the way, is Nat here yet?  
  
B: No, she's late.  
  
J: Hey, Rick? Do you guys want to talk in here? We can go upstairs if you want.  
  
R: Sure, Jo. We'll tell you when Nat and Snake get here.  
  
Ra: Snake? My mom has a friend that's married to a Snake?  
  
B: It's his nickname... I think... Do you guys want to come upstairs with us?  
  
A: Can we wait for Jordan?  
  
J: Sure! We'll be upstairs in our old room, okay?  
  
Ra: Okay.  
  
(((Upstairs)))  
  
(They all walk in and sit down on their old beds except for Tootie, who sat on Blair's bed.)  
  
B: So, Tootie, I've seen some of your movies. Very good!  
  
T: Thanks. Blair, is that your husband that plays on the St. Louis Cardinals?  
  
J: The Cards? No way! Blair wouldn't marry those people, would you? You know what they did to the Yankees best hitter last time, don't you? That idiot pitcher!  
  
B: That idiot pitcher is my husband!  
  
J: Oh... Sorry, Blair. I didn't know.  
  
B: (Sighs.) That's okay.  
  
J: Well, since obviously no one's heard about me, I'm an FBI agent in the Bronx. I'm usually assigned to teen violence and gangs.  
  
T: Aren't you scared that one day you'll find Alexz at one of those crime scenes?  
  
J: The truth is, I have. One time, when I was working on a murder case, Alexz told me she was in a gang, and that her gang killed the kid. But she assured me that she didn't know anything about it until afterwards. Then, one day the gang caught up to her after vowing to get her back for what she did.  
  
B: (Gasps.) What happened?  
  
J: She was shot in the stomach by their leader.  
  
B: But how did she...  
  
T: Live?  
  
J: It missed her vital organs. But she hasn't been involved in gangs since! Blair, you know, I haven't heard about you in the paper each day like I used to. As a matter of fact, the last time I heard about you was your wedding! What do you do for a living?  
  
B: Homeschool Rachel.  
  
T: And?  
  
B: And what? That's all Blaine will allow me to do. To tell you the truth, I'm probably poorer than you, Jo. I can't rely on my daddy's money anymore.  
  
J: Wait a minute, what do you mean, that's all Blaine will allow you to do? You have rights, too, you know!  
  
B: Love, honor, and obey...  
  
T: Hey, that reminds me of a movie I directed in '93. Love, Honor, and Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage.  
  
J: Yeah, I saw that too! That Nancy McKeon is a really good actress.  
  
T: You know, she kind of looks like you, Jo.  
  
J: You think?  
  
T: Yeah! And her work in A Cry For Help: The Tracey Thurman Story was excellent!  
  
J: Well, I've had too close of an experience to that myself to have really enjoyed it. And she looks like me, too, so I hardly even had to imagine myself there, because I already was.  
  
B: Has Rick abused you? Say yes, and I swear that he'll never, ever do it again!  
  
T: Jo, are you a ventriloquist? I'd swear it was you talking!  
  
B: I'm sorry, it's just... I don't want ant of you guys getting hurt.  
  
J: Well, we went through some tough times, and sometimes Rick... he kind of got too... he was under too much stress. It wasn't his fault.  
  
B: Oh, Jo, I'm sorry. Looks like we all have had some bad news but Tootie. (She hugs Jo.)  
  
N: Awww, how sweet!  
  
BJT: Natalie!  
  
N: What?  
  
B: We didn't hear you!  
  
N: That's the point of sneaking up here!  
  
T: Nat! (Stands up and hugs her.) I've missed you! What are you doing now? Do you have any kids?  
  
N: I've missed you too, writing novels, and yes, a 12 year old named Sara.  
  
T: Isn't that weird? We all have girls 12 years old!  
  
B: No, Rachel's 11. She'll be twelve the day we leave.  
  
J: And Alexz is 13. Well, almost thirteen. Her birthday is in July.  
  
B: She's already 13? Is that possible?  
  
J: Think, Blair! (Pause.) Wedding night?  
  
B: (Stifles a giggle.) Ahh... Should've known.  
  
T: Nat, was Jordan down there with the others?  
  
N: If Jordan recites poetry, yes. You know, Sara really likes to act! She played Baron Von Trapp in her school play...  
  
B: Well, at least I don't have to worry about a mini-Jo running around everywhere. That would be awful! Well... It's strange. Rachel is beautiful, like I used to be, and-  
  
N: Used to be? Blair, what happened to you?  
  
J: (Scoffs.) Blaine happened to her, that's what.  
  
N: What?  
  
B: Nothing! Nat, I read your novel you wrote.  
  
N: Who cares about my novel, what's wrong with you and Blaine?  
  
B: Nat, please... I'll tell you all about it after this gets straightened out.  
  
N: Okay, whatever you say.  
  
J: Blair, if you ever have to talk to anyone about this, just tell me, okay?  
  
B: I know. Since we're all here, let's go downstairs and introduce the men and kids.  
  
J: You mean all the kids.  
  
B: (Laughs.) You're right, the kids.  
  
(They all head out the door. When they get to the top of the stairs, they see everyone is crowded around Rick on the floor. Jo hesitates at the top of the stairs. When she realizes that something bad has happened, panic fills her eyes. She runs down the stairs and kneels down by him, her hand on his cheek. Blair, Nat, and Tootie follow.)  
  
J: Rick! Rick, wake up! (Tears stream down her cheeks, but she's not actually crying.) Please! Oh, please...  
  
(Blair, Natalie, and Tootie run down to them and stare. Blair finally snaps to reality.)  
  
B: I'm calling the ambulance! Try and find a pulse!  
  
(Blair goes into the kitchen to get the phone. She calls 9-1-1.)  
  
Bl: I found a pulse!  
  
J: Oh, thank God!  
  
N: What could be wrong with him?  
  
Oper: 9-1-1, what is the nature of your emergency?  
  
B: (Frantic.) We have a man here that just fainted, I don't know what's wrong...  
  
Oper: Just calm down. Does he have a pulse? Ma'am, I need you to tell me, does he have a pulse?  
  
B: Yes... Just hurry! Do you need my address?  
  
Oper: We have it here on screen. An ambulance will be there in 6 minutes.  
  
(She hangs up. Blair walks back into the living room to find Rick drifting in and out of consciousness in Jo's lap.)  
  
R: Jo... My back... I can't feel...  
  
J: What? Rick, don't talk. (Rick looses conscious.) Rick!  
  
A: Dad, please! Dad, wake up!  
  
B: Alexz, come here.  
  
(Alexz looks up at Blair. Blair hugs her and turns her away.)  
  
B: Alexz, don't look... Your father will be fine.  
  
A: (Starts crying.) Why? What's wrong, Mrs. Stevens?  
  
(Blair hears the ambulance sirens. She starts to walk out, then looks at Alexz.)  
  
B: Alexz, Rachel, can you go upstairs? Just... I'll drive you over to the hospital. I think your mom wants to ride in the ambulance.  
  
A: But I want... want to go with dad... Please?  
  
B: Alexz, you don't want to see your dad on that stretcher. It's probably better for you to come with me. We'll be behind them the whole way, I promise.  
  
Ra: Alexz, stay here with me.  
  
(An ambulance crew comes in. They bring a stretcher and put him on it. Alexz sees him and turns away.)  
  
A: (Whispers.) He looks dead!  
  
B: Honey, don't think that way. You're only hurting yourself when you do this. Let's go.  
  
A: What?  
  
B: They're leaving. I promised you we'd follow them, didn't I?  
  
Ra: Let's go!  
  
(They all walk out behind Jo, Rick, and the AC.) 


End file.
